Anna Valdez recreates her domestic space in sumptuous oil paintings

Anna Valdez is the kind of artist who makes me want to swathe myself and everything around me in layers of tropical prints and geometric patterns and embrace a new sartorial existence as a wannabe art teacher. Her mastery of textiles is so thorough that some of her pieces almost feel like studies, an effect which makes sense considering her academic interests. With a background in anthropology she paints domestic interiors as though they were portraits, with every detail contributing to the overall effect, whether it be house plants, intricately reproduced book covers, woolly jumpers or oriental rugs.

“Recently, many of my pieces have been still lives,” Anna explains. “These arrangements have been composed from various household items such as my clothes, quilts, scarves, blankets, houseplants, drawings, paintings, books, records, and vessels. These items exist as a part of my domestic environment and I have put them in my paintings to understand the domestic sphere as emblematic of both personal and collective experience.” The effect is an insight into her personal space complete with literature, music and decor, and rendered in her colourful style it’s an irresistible combination.